The Jets didn’t waste any time taking their new (old) toy for a long spin Saturday night.

Forced by Matt Forte’s balky hamstring to wait until the third preseason game to see what he could do, Gang Green rode the ex-Bears running back early and hard in their 21-20 loss to the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

Forte got the ball on five of the Jets’ first nine plays from scrimmage and ended up with 12 touches — carries and receptions — for 37 yards in two quarters of heavy work in his Jets debut.

The big workload for Forte served a dual purpose: His hamstring problem had so limited Forte during training camp and the exhibition season the Jets were also hurriedly trying to get him in game shape with the Sept. 11 season opener with the Bengals just two weeks away.

It would be difficult to pass judgement on what the Jets saw from the 30-year-old Forte on Saturday. He carried 10 times for 28 yards, with a long of just six yards, but showed some burst and the ability to turn the corner against a mobile Giants defensive front.

Forte also caught two passes (on three targets) for just nine yards, but there, too, he gave the Jets some hints that one of the best pass-catching backs in NFL history still has something left in the tank in that department.

“Physically, I felt as good as I’ve felt all camp,” Forte said. “I felt 100 percent out there, and I was just trying to get the feel of the game back. It wasn’t the statistics you would want coming out, though. We’ve got a lot to work on.”

Chan Gailey obviously didn’t want to show much of anything in a preseason game, but the Jets’ offensive coordinator teased the versatility Forte is renowned for by also lining him up in the slot as a receiver on both the right and left sides.

Best of all for the Jets, Forte came away from his first game action as a Jet relatively healthy, which remains one of the biggest questions about the veteran back since Chicago decided not to re-sign the ninth-year pro last spring.

Forte has been one of the most durable backs in the NFL, but concern about how long he can keep that up has grown since he missed three games last season with a knee injury before reporting to camp with the Jets with a strained hamstring suffered while jogging.

The Jets will try to keep Forte healthy by balancing his workload with talented young backup Bilal Powell, who got four carries for 18 yards. Third-teamer Antone Smith also got plenty of action in the second half, carrying 13 times for 30 yards.

“At this stage of my career, it wasn’t like I needed any more hits than necessary,” Forte said. “But it was good to get back in a full-speed environment. I feel like I needed it to get me ready for the regular season.”